A Final Favour
by Sadistic Empress
Summary: I have a favor to ask you. a final favor..." What will Rukia's final favour be?


**A Final Favour**

**Disclaimer: I do not own bleach. If I do, then Byakuya'll be mine!!!!**

"_I have a favor to ask you. A final favor."_

That was the last words he heard from Rukia, before she went to Soul Society.

Though he did not know the reasons on why she went to Soul Society the day after his most happiest day in his life.

Yes, it was because he and Orihime became a couple. Actually he had come to realize his feelings for her after the Hueco Mondo Battle followed by her confession.

_Flashback;_

"_Rukia!" a loud voice called her, who at that time was busy packing her stuff._

_It was after the Hueco Mondo Battle and everyone seemed to be relieved when Aizen was killed with a finishing blow from Ichigo's hollow power combined with the other captains'. They were given two days off from the hollow-hunting as the job was replaced by the assigned Shinigami. And right now, they were at home, with his family went off somewhere, giving the two of them some privacy. (*hehehe*)_

"_Rukia! Hey I've got some- what are you doing?" Ichigo panted, catching his breath for a while after running from who-knows-where, before he glanced on the backpack on Rukia's hands._

"_Nothing, I'm just packing my stuff because sooner or later, Yamamoto-taichou will order us to return to Soul Society," Rukia just brushed it off as if it was nothing._

_The room became silent for a while before Rukia remembered about Ichigo. She then looked up at him, "So, what is that you want to tell me?"_

"_Huh? Oh, sorry. It's just that…I…" he scratched his head while blushing. He was nervous whether he should tell her or not about the matter._

"_Oi, spill it out already!" A nerve appeared on her head. She did not like it when an idiot kept wasting her time in front of her, uncertain with his/her decision._

"_Okay, listen here carefully so that I don't have to repeat it again." He became serious all of a sudden and that made Rukia stopped and carefully opened her ears._

"_Inoue and I are going out from now on!" He closed his eyes as he blurted out those words. Unknown to him, Rukia flinched and a disappointed look crossed her face before she quickly disposed it so that Ichigo would not know anything of it._

_Ichigo slowly opened his eyes and was encountered by a smiling Rukia. "So, is that what you're telling me?" Ichigo nodded his head. "Well, congratulation! You should make her happy as she has a crush on you for a long time."_

"_What?! Since when did you know that she had a crush on me?!" It was the first time Ichigo had ever heard of this news. He did not even know that Inoue liked him for such a long time already and that he only known her feelings for him only yesterday._

"_Oh, forget it. It was obvious. It was just you, who are dense." Rukia walked out of his room and was about to enter his sisters' room when he grabbed her wrist, stopping her in her tracks. Rukia turned her head towards him, demanding him an explanation on his weird behavior._

"_Um, aren't you mad or something?" Ichigo did not know why he stopped her and asked her that question. His body just moved by itself without he even registered what he had done._

"_No. why should I be angry? It's your rights to choose. Neither anyone nor mine." Those words stabbed him right in the heart though he did not know why. It was as if he hoped for something to happen, but he did not know what. Lately, he did not know why his heart seemed to be restless whenever he was with Inoue but vice-versa whenever Rukia beside him._

_End of Flashback._

And now, he regretted of letting her go at that time. Now, he knew what exactly his soul, body and heart wanted, but he was such an idiot for letting her go.

And ever since Rukia went to Soul Society, he never had any contact or message from Rukia. It was as if Rukia was never existed in his life. It was as if she never met him.

Maybe Rukia was busy with her paperwork. Yeah, that's right. However, day by day, those excuses ate him from the inside. He knew that there must be something wrong up there. He knew that he should go up there, meeting her so that these restless he kept on having, would go away just by meeting her.

So he went to Urahara to ask him to open a Senkai Gate to Soul Society. He did not know why he was so eager on meeting Rukia. Not that it felt this way with Inoue.

However, when he entered the headquarter of the thirteenth division, he was encountered by…silence. The people around him kept whispering with each other while pointing at him. He could not take this anymore so he dashed towards Rukia's desk and found nothing. No Rukia. No sign of her.

He felt more and more uneasy with this and went closer to her desk. There was something weird about the desk. It was kind of dusty as if nobody had used it for a long time. Without wasting his time, he went to Kuchiki Residence.

***SE***

"What's with this commotion, Kurosaki Ichigo?" Byakuya, who suddenly stepped into the garden, glared towards Ichigo, sending a chill down his spine.

"Oi, Byakuya? Where's Rukia? I need to see her right now!" Ichigo, who was restrained by the guards, tried to free himself from the guards.

Byakuya flinched for a while before he cleared his throat. "Rukia's not here. Not here anymore." He said those words easily.

"Not here? What do you mean by that?! If she's not here, then where had she possibly gone?" Ichigo became even more furious with Byakuya's inconsiderate on Rukia's well-being.

"Then, I should ask you the same thing. Where were you during Rukia's funeral?" These words seemed stabbed his heart and for once, he managed to free himself before shun-poed to Byakuya and gripped his shihakusho.

"I dare you to repeat that again." He gritted his teeth; however Byakuya did not even flinch nor had a fear on his eyes, as they were hollow.

"Where were you during Rukia's funeral? Where were you when Rukia needed you the most? Where were you, Ichigo?" Byakuya even had the nerve to ask those questions that kept on stabbing on different spots in his heart.

As those words registered his mind, Ichigo slowly let go of his hold on Byakuya.

This couldn't be happening. How could she? How did she? Those words kept on replaying on his mind that he was unaware of Byakuya's next sentence.

"It was already a month after her funeral and now you have the guts to appear before me, asking me where Rukia was?" Byakuya gave him his back as he slowly walked away from the guilty man behind him.

"It was such a shame, Kurosaki Ichigo, that you are the one who killed Rukia from the inside. I should have not entrusted her to you." Byakuya shook his head and stopped in his tracks when Ichigo called out his name.

"Byakuya, if I could…. Can you please tell me where…" Ichigo lowered his head, feeling ashamed of himself for not being able to be with Rukia when she needed his help the most.

Byakuya slowly turned towards him before throwing an envelope to him, in which Ichigo caught it easily.

"Those are Rukia's. She wrote those after she returned from the real world. It must have been for you." He then walked away from him.

"Sankyuu, Byakuya!" He looked carefully at the envelope on his hand, before he opened and read it.

***SE***

"_Don't ever forget about me, ne, Ichigo. No matter what."_

Though he did not know what those words meant, but now, he understood it pretty well. Before him, was a grave with several white water-lilies. Those flowers reflected her quite well, as she was pure as white as snow.

After he read the letter, he understood on why his heart felt restless at that time. Yes, that was because he loved her and it was foolish of him for not realizing it till now. He thought he had made the right choice on being with Inoue, but it was all wrong from the start. He tried to ignore those restlessness however it became more and more intense when Rukia went to Soul Society the next day.

And he regretted it all along. In the letter, she confessed to him. However, it was too late for him to make it up for her, as at the end of the letter, she told him that she was assigned to an important work of a powerful hollow-hunting that seemed to be making a ruckus in Rukongai. Perhaps she was injured pretty heavily at that time that could even endanger her life. He did not want to think of the possibilities. All he wanted to know was that he wanted to meet her for the last time but to no avail.

He wanted to talk and meet her once more.

He missed her pretty badly.

He knew he could not make it.

And that he regretted it.

If only he was smart enough to consider his feelings before she return to Soul Society.

If only he stopped her from returning to Soul Society.

If only he knew that it was the last encounter he ever had with her.

He would never let her go…

And stay by her side forever…

While protecting her….

***SE***

Ichigo stood up and stretched, after sitting for an hour in front of Rukia's grave. He was reminiscing on their moments they shared with each other in the real world.

And he remembered the last words Rukia said to him, before she went through the Senkai Gate.

"_Don't ever forget about me, ne, Ichigo. No matter what."_

"Yeah, I'll never forget about you, Rukia." He showed his sincere smile before turning away from the grave. "Ja na!" he waved, knowing that there would be no one to wave him back.

Unknown to him, a tear managed to escape down his cheek.

I'll never forget you. never!

**A/N: *SIGH* It took me hours to do this... and this is my first story, so spare me!!!!!**


End file.
